A Wish to Change the World (With JR)

Some innovators and their projects don’t fit a firm category, and it’s usually those that change the world by breaking down our assumptions about heroes, politics, culture, art, religion, gender, psychology, law-breaking, etc…

What if someone gave you one wish to “save” the world? It was all on you, your idea was the only hope for us all.

Okay, personally, I don’t know nearly enough about the world to accept that responsibility, and I would have no idea where to start. I suspect I’d hang back indefinitely rather than risk making a mistake that could actually make things worse.

But what if the challenge came to you in a different way. What if someone gave you one wish to “change” the world?

Wonderfully inspiring isn’t it!

Sidenote: We love TED! If you don’t know about TED, you can learn about them here! But back to JR.

Remember that JR was 17 when he began to work with his creative impulses. At 17 years old, there can be hope or hopelessness, and many young people turn either impulse into a passion for risk-taking. Look where that’s taken JR!

We are used to seeing fearless young people in extreme sports and politics, rioting in the streets. Youth seems to be primed for experimenting with all sorts of things at the edges of culture, mostly involving some physical activity.

But this breaks some new ground. This is a social experiment using photography in a way that is physically demanding and politically fearless. And the results are bringing us all to new and important places.

To learn more about JR’s art, check out his website with dozens of different projects at JR-Art.net, and to learn more about this amazing concept, The Inside Out Project, please take some time to peruse insideoutproject.net.

YOU Can Get Involved!

Even if you don’t think you’re an artist, you can still get involved! How? Simply share this article with anyone you know who just might have the next risky, creative idea that could change the world.

And remember: you don’t have to set out to change the world. Even small change sets a ripple in motion: helping someone with their groceries, shoveling an elderly person’s walkway, or make cookies for your coworkers – all these nice acts start ripples.

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